Luton-9
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I boarded the coach at Luton at gate 20 which is associated with stand 61. The coach then drove all of 50m to stand 60, so much for easyjet priority boarders, as they found themselves buried at the back of the bus and were the last to board the aircraft.
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Nighttime restrictions
Not everyone is happy about not being able to use Luton at night during the summer now BACA speaks out on London airport overnight restrictions
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Reading between the lines they don’t seem to be impressed with the idea of using Southend. I think I read that the Luton restriction will be for 90 days but will be applied again next summer.
I think SEN will be well pleased that BACA has drawn to everyone's attention the fact that SEN can offer limited night slots for those 3 months of 2018 and 2019.
Join Date: Nov 2001
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The only folk bemused by the slot restrictions are the bizjet fraternity who have had it good for far too long. If they want a 24/7 operation, then find another airport and invest! Writing has been on the wall for years. If the elite wish unfettered access to London, then their hopes will be dashed.
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Well they have still got London access via Southend although their locals will be in for a shock when the biz jets turn up in the early hours and will no doubt kick off. Some of those jets are quite noisy and Southend doesn’t normally have overnight jet traffic.
As for Signature and Harrods I guess they will all be going home at night for the summer.
As for Signature and Harrods I guess they will all be going home at night for the summer.
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If BACA are complaining about London airport's night restrictions have they not looked at continental Europe where a vast number of airports are closed at night especially in France, Germany and Switzerland. In Spain only Madrid, Barcelona and airports along the east coast remain open the remainder close for the night the exception being Vitoria which is a major freight hub. Still it would not be the UK without moaning about something, whinging poms etc.
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Thread Starter
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I really don’t understand what you expect from Luton. People fly from here for a reason, either for convenience or taking advantage of cheap flights. I don’t think many people are going to be judging how the boarding pier finish looks whilst they are boarding the flight they got for £90 return! You have to remember this isn’t Singapore’s or Dubai’s airport! I think the departure lounge finish is more of an area to concentrate on, which they have done quite well with in the new area, apart from the lack of seating. However, they would always choose more retail units over seating areas as it’s more money in their pockets!
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New pier? First impressions not good. First floor windows are 8ft off the ground so they let light in but no-one can see out. Perhaps LLAOL don't want the public watching the building site that will be there for some years to come.
Unless I somehow missed seeing them, there are no flight displays apart from the individual flights shown at their respective gate. Passengers ending up in the wrong part of the airport won't be able to find their gate number in a hurry.
Little or no seating. Not everyone is able to stand for lengthy periods waiting for their flight to start boarding.
Unless I somehow missed seeing them, there are no flight displays apart from the individual flights shown at their respective gate. Passengers ending up in the wrong part of the airport won't be able to find their gate number in a hurry.
Little or no seating. Not everyone is able to stand for lengthy periods waiting for their flight to start boarding.
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Might be the case on the coach side but I think the windows are floor to ceiling overlooking the apron. Also think the bulk of the seating is for the coach passengers some of whom have proper waiting areas which is where the video was shot.
Seems that a temporary exit road is being built from the pay barriers so the walkway from the former short term car park can be removed. I don't think it has been up 2 years. This seems to mean that the subway won't be opening anytime soon as the temporary road skirts the 3rd core and hugs part of the flyover which is far from being completed.
Seems that a temporary exit road is being built from the pay barriers so the walkway from the former short term car park can be removed. I don't think it has been up 2 years. This seems to mean that the subway won't be opening anytime soon as the temporary road skirts the 3rd core and hugs part of the flyover which is far from being completed.
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Pier B
I think some people might be judging Pier B a bit too harshly and as AvGeek1 points out, this is a low cost airport. I took a wander to the new pier whilst waiting for a flight today and took the following pics.
This is the link between the main terminal and Pier B, looking backwards towards the main terminal
This is the departure corridor in the link, looking towards Pier B. To the left of the glass panels is the arrivals corridor.
The finishing quality in the link is not bad at all and (to the delight of some people here! has a proper ceiling
This is the view at the end of the link as you turn left and get to Pier B itself. Toilets are on the left, with stairs and escalator down to gates 40 - 43 (busses for South Stands) and straight on for gates 30 - 33. The numbering makes sense (30s for upstairs and 40s for downstairs).
The downstairs gates, with busses waiting on the right
These are the upstairs boarding gates to the East Apron. There are in fact loads of seats, although I can't help think they are wasted here since most people will only be in this pier when the flight is boarding and they are queuing at the gate. Finishing is simple but OK.
The end of Pier B where there are another set of toilets. And no, the signs on the toilets are not crooked, they are designed like that (and look better in person!)
The view back down the pier. Whilst you can't see out the windows on the left, which will overlook the DART station construction, there is plenty of light from the windows on the right overlooking the Eastern Apron.
Reverse view at the start of the pier. There are indeed no flight information screens in any part of the pier or the link at the moment... only the gate signs. I would imagine this has to change.
This is the link between the main terminal and Pier B, looking backwards towards the main terminal
This is the departure corridor in the link, looking towards Pier B. To the left of the glass panels is the arrivals corridor.
The finishing quality in the link is not bad at all and (to the delight of some people here! has a proper ceiling
This is the view at the end of the link as you turn left and get to Pier B itself. Toilets are on the left, with stairs and escalator down to gates 40 - 43 (busses for South Stands) and straight on for gates 30 - 33. The numbering makes sense (30s for upstairs and 40s for downstairs).
The downstairs gates, with busses waiting on the right
These are the upstairs boarding gates to the East Apron. There are in fact loads of seats, although I can't help think they are wasted here since most people will only be in this pier when the flight is boarding and they are queuing at the gate. Finishing is simple but OK.
The end of Pier B where there are another set of toilets. And no, the signs on the toilets are not crooked, they are designed like that (and look better in person!)
The view back down the pier. Whilst you can't see out the windows on the left, which will overlook the DART station construction, there is plenty of light from the windows on the right overlooking the Eastern Apron.
Reverse view at the start of the pier. There are indeed no flight information screens in any part of the pier or the link at the moment... only the gate signs. I would imagine this has to change.
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Great set of photos. Some parts of the link and pier are of a good standard but others make the building look half finished with exposed metal framed walls and exposed services above the roof line but would passenger notice or even care.
Apart from the first wave of flights with night stoppers I haven’t actually seen the pier in use during the day.
The second entrance that will eventually be signed as arrivals is getting close to being opened but with the gap between the two entrances filled with canopy materials so can’t be tarmacked passengers heading for the drop off area will pass to the right of the new concrete wall while passengers using the other entrance or should I say exit will pass to the left of the concrete wall.
The strange wall that sits by the covered walkway is tapered and loses height the further down it goes. All very strange but might have something to do with eventually taking some of the slope out of the pavement. The wall is still fenced off making the bus station side pavement narrow as the wall foundations still need to be back filled.
Apart from the first wave of flights with night stoppers I haven’t actually seen the pier in use during the day.
The second entrance that will eventually be signed as arrivals is getting close to being opened but with the gap between the two entrances filled with canopy materials so can’t be tarmacked passengers heading for the drop off area will pass to the right of the new concrete wall while passengers using the other entrance or should I say exit will pass to the left of the concrete wall.
The strange wall that sits by the covered walkway is tapered and loses height the further down it goes. All very strange but might have something to do with eventually taking some of the slope out of the pavement. The wall is still fenced off making the bus station side pavement narrow as the wall foundations still need to be back filled.
Would it have pained them to use a more imaginative colour?
Seems to be a decent number of seats available. Could it be an idea to put gate numbers on the departure boards if known, rather than just before boarding, so you’d actually get people congregating in these areas rather than the overcrowded departure lounge?
Seems to be a decent number of seats available. Could it be an idea to put gate numbers on the departure boards if known, rather than just before boarding, so you’d actually get people congregating in these areas rather than the overcrowded departure lounge?
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My comments regarding the seating were directed more at the lower gates i.e.40-43 which will be used for coaching to the south apron. A further check today and it looks like 8 seats (2x4) per gate apart from gate 43 which seems to have 16 seats. On a positive note there seem to be lifts at the upper gates i.e. 30-33, with one of the biggest existing gripes I hear coming from passengers having to carry baby buggies/prams down up to 6 flights of stairs as is the case elsewhere around the airport.
At the moment, gate numbers are displayed on the flight information screen 45 minutes from STD. Theoretically this gives passengers plenty of time to get to the right gate. Problems with displaying gate numbers earlier are two-fold; firstly there are no preboard zones in the new pier unlike the ones that serve (I think) gates 22 and 26 on the other pier. Passengers congregating well in advance of their boarding time would only impede access to the other gates. This was evident today, with a Wizz A321 boarding at gate 31 where the "cattle pen" quickly filled up and the rest of the passengers filled the width of the pier. Secondly, parking space is at a premium, especially in the morning, with the combination of departing aircraft incurring delays, and arriving aircraft turning up ahead of schedule, leading to last minute changes to the planned stand allocation and consequent changes of gate.
At the moment, gate numbers are displayed on the flight information screen 45 minutes from STD. Theoretically this gives passengers plenty of time to get to the right gate. Problems with displaying gate numbers earlier are two-fold; firstly there are no preboard zones in the new pier unlike the ones that serve (I think) gates 22 and 26 on the other pier. Passengers congregating well in advance of their boarding time would only impede access to the other gates. This was evident today, with a Wizz A321 boarding at gate 31 where the "cattle pen" quickly filled up and the rest of the passengers filled the width of the pier. Secondly, parking space is at a premium, especially in the morning, with the combination of departing aircraft incurring delays, and arriving aircraft turning up ahead of schedule, leading to last minute changes to the planned stand allocation and consequent changes of gate.
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